


I'm (Not) Fine

by KivaEmber



Category: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Gen, friendship is painful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-10
Updated: 2014-02-10
Packaged: 2018-01-11 19:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1176976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KivaEmber/pseuds/KivaEmber
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Canon AU. It was Hibiki, not Io, who was chosen to be Lugh's vessel. It was fine though. Absolutely fine. He wasn't scared. Not at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm (Not) Fine

There was a vending machine in JP’s.

Hibiki had never realised it before, but the JP’s complex was large, and he had only been here for a few days, so it was no surprised that this was his first time stumbling across it. JP’s had so many off corridors and narrow walkways that spanned off the golden catwalks, it was so confusing that Hibiki felt as if he needed some sort of map. It was fine for now though – he had wanted to get lost.

He stared at the vending machine. It had a very plain exterior. A dull blue, with a small window to show the drinks it held inside. They were regular brands you could get from a convenience store. It was so odd. It was mostly empty now, though, which made some sort of sense. Hibiki didn’t have any spare change on him anyway.

Hibiki didn’t know how long he stood there, staring blankly into the empty vending machine, but he was abruptly drawn from his stupor by someone’s hand dropping on his shoulder.

“Hey, um, you okay?”

Daichi.

“Yeah,” Hibiki muttered, his jaw feeling too stiff to move properly. After a second to gather himself, he turned around, bright smile in place. “Just been dying for something other than water, y’know? But looks like other people had the same idea as me…”

Daichi frowned at him, but Hibiki maintained the smile long enough for his friend’s anxious expression to ease a fraction. “Yeah,” he muttered, and he fidgeted with the hem of his scarf, fingers curled into the worn fabric. “Um, I think Makoto’s made some tea for you, if you’re interested…”

Makoto? Making tea? Hibiki felt his smile twitch in bemusement, and he tilted his head a fraction in response. He didn’t think Makoto had enough time to sleep, let alone set aside some tea for him – especially as Mizar was currently wrecking hell topside, multiplying everywhere and such.

“S-She made it before she went out,” Daichi elaborated, “That was half an hour ago. She-  _we_  were just worried because you just… ran off after…”

A sombre air pressed down on them, and maintaining the smile was almost physically painful at that point. Hibiki shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, fingers curled so tight he could feel his nails digging into his palms, and forced out a laugh, “Aw, that’s kinda sweet. I just needed a second to myself, y’know, demon possession’s a big thing to digest.”

“Mm,” Daichi was staring at him again, and his mouth was set unhappily. Hibiki tactfully stared just past his friend’s shoulder. “Hibiki,” he began, his words halting, “I – This… is unfair…”

Yeah, it was.

“It’s better than everyone dying.”

Hibiki didn’t mean for his voice to come out so cutting, but it did, and those words hung heavily around them, echoing silently to the point where it was like a distant ringing to his ears. Hibiki bit his bottom lip, bitterness heavy on his tongue, and Daichi looked tormented, practically throttling his scarf between taut fingers.

“There’s… there’s gotta be another way!” Daichi finally burst out, and he took a step closer. His hands reached out, anxiously fluttering over Hibiki’s shoulders before firmly grabbing, “C’mon, that Yamato guy must be hiding some, some sorta super-secret weapon, or…”

“This  _is_  his super-secret weapon,” Hibiki said, and his mouth felt like it was moving all wrong, his words faster than his lips were moving. His throat was so tight. “Can’t get anymore super-secret than a magical dragon under the Diet Building.”

“But…!” Daichi bit down the rest of his words, and he gazed at Hibiki with such helplessness that it was painful to witness. Hibiki could even feel his friend’s nails bite through his hoodie and his jumper. “You  _can’t_  die…”

And that was the dilemma.

Unbidden, the memory of his own death clip flashed through his mind; a clip of where he choked and gagged on his own blood, his body assaulted with violent seizures until – he actually  _exploded_  from the sheer amount of energy inside of him. He’d die in the most painful and grisly way possible. Being crushed under a train looked positively vanilla in comparison.

Hibiki sucked in a shaky breath – and smiled.

“I won’t. C’mon, I’ve dodged death once,” he said cheerily, and he settled his hands on Daichi’s forearms, giving them a small squeeze. “Everything will be fine, Daichi, I promise.”

Fine. Fine fine fine. Everything would be fine. If he believed that, then it would come true.

Daichi practically throttled his poor shoulders, but after a tense pause, he relaxed his death grip slowly. He still looked unhappy, so unhappy, his eyes curiously wet looking and his lips in a thin, trembling line, but, Hibiki still smiled, made sure it was perfect and gentle and that none of that absolute terror screaming in his guts shone through.

“It’ll be fine…” Hibiki repeated softly, “We’re gonna survive this, you and me both.”

He didn’t know who he was trying to convince; him or Daichi, but it looked like neither of them really believed his lie. None of them could say much about it though – all they could do was cling to whatever scraps of hope they had left, and, Hibiki had no intention in dying. He was going to live, he was going to protect Daichi and Io, he’ll keep his promise, and he’ll make sure this world was back to what it should be.

“…you’ll be fine,” Daichi repeated, and he returned the smile – it was wobbly and tearful and not very happy, but it was a smile. The first step to wilful ignorance. Good!

“Yeah, we will be.”


End file.
